IL: Chicago cops shoot dog, assault kid with Bible

Three federal complaints of excessive force accuse Chicago police officers of shooting a dog while its owner begged for its life, assaulting a child with a Bible, and running into a man with a squad car, breaking his leg.

In the dog story, Jerome Anderson sued three Chicago police officers and the City of Chicago.

Anderson says that his girlfriend called police for an escort home after she and Anderson had an argument.

"She did not state that plaintiff had gotten physical with her," according to the complaint.

But Anderson says police officers entered the house, handcuffed him and shot his dog, Rocco.

Anderson says the defendant officers handcuffed him with his hands behind his back. He asked what was going on and "the officers told him to shut up and not move."

"Plaintiff's dog then came down from upstairs and sat by plaintiff's side," the complaint states. "When the officers saw the dog, they put away their Tasers and got out their guns ...

"Defendant Officer [Jason] Landrum then walked up to plaintiff and his dog and put his gun to the dog's head. Plaintiff begged the officer to put down his gun and allow him to put his dog in another room. The dog stayed by plaintiff's side and made no move toward the officer.

"Landrum looked at the other officers and then shot the dog in the neck.

"Two white male officers, upon information and belief, defendants [Brian J] McEnerney and [Milton] then shoved plaintiff backwards, causing him to fall down the stairs and fracture his tibia.

"Officer Landrum then shot Rocco in the chest, and the dog then ran down the stairs to plaintiff, where Landrum shot the dog a third time, hitting it in the leg."

Anderson says the cops would not allow his girlfriend back into the house to take care of the dog, "who she could see lying on the floor bleeding through the open back door."

Anderson seeks damages for excessive force, false arrest, and unlawful seizure. He is represented by Kurt Feuer.

In the assault-with-a-Bible lawsuit, James Stagger, Jermaine Fareed, Tracy Cherry and Rebecca Gaines sued John and Jane Doe Chicago Police officers, claiming they were stopped and searched without justification.

"During this incident, both officers used excessive force on the plaintiffs ... and this excessive force included but was not necessarily limited to pointing a gun at the plaintiffs, slapping, hitting, pulling hair, and throwing a Bible at one of the boy's faces," according to the complaint.

The plaintiffs seek damages for excessive force, and battery, and are represented by Richard Dvorak.

In the third lawsuit, Raymond Franklin sued 14 Chicago police officers, the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), and two of its agents.

Franklin claims that in March 2010, "unknown Chicago police officers, a man and a woman officer, driving in an unmarked squad car struck Raymond Franklin with their vehicle, causing him to fall, break his leg, and suffer other injuries."

To top it off, Franklin says, the police then arrested him and charged with battery to a police officer, a charge he denies.

When Franklin's parents complained to the IPRA, "the IPRA collected the wrong video from street cameras located at the intersection of 115th and Halsted in an attempt to prevent plaintiff from identifying and suing the unknown Chicago police officers and the City of Chicago," according to the complaint.

Franklin claims: "IPRA management and investigators have refused to conduct an in person line up of suspected unknown Chicago police officers for fear that plaintiff will correctly identify the unknown Chicago police officers."

Franklin seeks damages for excessive force, conspiracy, and false arrest. He is represented by Nicolas Albukerk.

Original report here




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